Graphic Novel Reviews: Fables, the Mean Seasons, by Bill Willingham

The Mean Seasons, the fifth volume of the Fables graphic novel series, is a bit disappointing compared to the previous release, March of the Wooden Soldiers. Like Storybook Love, it contains several short tales instead of a coherent whole.

It begins with Cinderella Libertine, a one-shot which was originally released in the middle of the March of the Wooden Soldiers arc. While this is a very interesting and surprising story which develops the character of Cinderella and the nature of Bigby's work with the Fables, it loses some of its punch when removed from its original place in the lineup, where it served to release some of the tension of the main arc. adparams.getadspec('c_billboard1');

Next is War Stories, a two-part tale about Bigby's days in the army in World War II, when he is captured by the Nazis and meats Frankenstein. It's a pointless and derivative story which serves mainly as filler. The reader already knows about Bigby's time in the army, albeit not in detail, and War Stories reveals neither anything new about the character nor anything interesting about the world of the Fables in general.

Issue #30, "The Cruel, Hot Summer," returns to the present-day Fables. Snow White gives birth to Bigby's children - six in all - most of whom are more wolf than human. As a result, she realizes that she must leave her role in the Fabletown government and be banished to the Farm, where the non-human Fables are kept hidden and where Bigby cannot visit her. In addition, Prince Charming wins the election for mayor against Old King Cole, spelling the end of Bigby's position as Sheriff and the beginning of a new dynamic for Fabletown.

Another problem comes up, reminiscent of the two-part story in Storybook Love, where a reporter begins to discover the strange things happening around Fabletown, beginning with their cover-up for the fire in March of the Wooden Soldiers. It's a reminder of the Fables' precarious position, facing danger from all sides.

The rest of the volume covers the change in government, Snow White's new life at the farm, a visit from Bigby's father the North Wind, and the horrible realization that Bigby's strange heritage has given some of her children more than a wolf-like appearance and the ability to fly. This arc definitely picks up the story after the slow beginning, but it's not as exciting as things to come.